Minority Report review

We’re all capable of thinking horrible things. But how would it feel to have your darkest thoughts policed? That’s the reality in this version of Philip K Dick’s classic sci-fi novella, partly an allegory on the power of the state and its responsibility to protect its citizens. In David Haig’s adaptation, directed by Max Webster, the futuristic world of surveillance feels one step away from our current reality: AI bots provide life advice, driverless taxis ship people across the capital and tech rules the land. The production has a slick air of ultra modernism, and whizzes through scenes at a relentless pace. Despite some spectacular, ambitious visuals, though, there’s the nagging sense that the theatre might not be the best medium for this dystopian fable.

This is not the first time Dick’s novella has been adapted: most famously, Steven Spielberg made it into a 2002 blockbuster hit with Tom Cruise. Haig’s version is markedly different to those that have come before. Most significantly, he’s changed the gender of the central character from male to female. Julia, played by Jodie McNee, is the CEO of the pioneering British Pre-Crime programme, which plants chips behind the populace’s ears and scans their brains to hunt down anyone capable of future crimes. We’re given the history of Pre-Crime’s supremacy, beginning with a speech given by Julia for the organisation’s 10th anniversary. It is an infallible, unbreakable system – but Julia learns that it has identified her as a soon-to-be killer. Could it possibly have got it wrong?
Continues...